Cross Country Running at Olympic Modern Pentathlon

Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically 4–12 kilometers long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road. It is both an individual and a team sport, as runners are judged on an individual basis and a points scoring method for teams. Both men and women of all ages compete in cross country, which usually takes place during autumn and winter, and can include weather conditions of rain, sleet, snow or hail, and a wide range of temperatures. Cross country running is one of the disciplines under the umbrella sport of athletics, and cross country athletes often compete in long-distance track and road running. Although open-air running competitions are pre-historic, the rules and traditions of cross country racing emerged in Britain. The English championship became the first national competition in 1876 and the International Cross Country Championships was held for the first time in 1903. Since 1973 the foremost elite competition has been the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

Because of differences between courses in running surface, frequency and tightness of turns, and amount of up and downhill, cross country strategy does not necessarily simplify to running a steady pace from start to finish. Coaches and cross country runners debate the relative merits of fast starts to get clear of the field, versus steady pacing to maximize physiological efficiency. Some teams emphasize running in a group in order to provide encouragement to others on the team, while others hold that every individual should run his or her own race.

Cross country was contested as a team and individual event at the 1904, 1912, 1920 and 1924 Summer Games. A United States team won the gold medal for cross country in the 1904 Olympics. Sweden took gold in 1912.Finland, led by Paavo Nurmi and captured the gold medal in 1920 and 1924 before the Olympics dropped cross country from its program. Cross Country running is fifth part of Olympic Modern Pentathlon. You can buy Olympic Modern Pentathlon Tickets from Sport Ticket Exchange at very cheap rates. Sport Ticket Exchange offers you Olympic Tickets for all Olympic sports and events especially Olympic Modern Pentathlon Tickets in very secure and easy way at reasonable rates.